Despite all the attention Manchester United has paid to signing new players this summer, the Red Devils have recently appeared to be fairly slack in their efforts to clear out the “deadwood,” leaving a number of uncertain futures.

The only notable sale was that of Alex Telles, who joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr on a £4 million deal. David De Gea, whose contract expired last month, has been the most well-known player to leave.

Fred, a 30-year-old midfielder from Brazil and a teammate of Telles, is one player who United appear to be interested in selling. Erik ten Hag and company are trying to raise some much-needed money so they can make other investments. Fred was valued at roughly £20 million.

After five years at Old Trafford, the £120k per week asset, who had previously been called “not good enough” by club great Roy Keane, started just two of the season’s final 13 Premier League games after falling down the pecking order.

Fred-Manchester-United
The interest in Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich can be attributed to the necessity for new midfield signings given that Scott McTominay, the pair’s usual companion, may also be available for grabs.

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The Red Devils are apparently eager to make a bid for the 28-year-old in order to reinforce in the centre of the park, with the former Stuttgart star emerging as a ‘priority’ target, according to reports in Spain late last week.

With only two years remaining on his present contract, it is thought that Bayern Munich would be “receptive” to the notion of letting the 5 foot 10 ace depart the Allianz Arena, opening the door for Ten Hag to possibly seize the opportunity.

Strong links to Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina, who Ten Hag previously coached at Utrecht, have also emerged in this search for a new midfielder, though Kimmich may be a better option for United.

Which is superior, Kimmich or Amrabat?

Former United manager Jose Mourinho praised Kimmich as a “absolutely phenomenal player” during his illustrious eight-year stay in Bavaria, when he won eight straight league championships, the Champions League, and a host of other accolades.

The versatility of the German, who can be “a top right-back, left-back, center-back, No. 6, No. 8, No. 10” since he “has the qualities to be anything,” should make him a better choice than Fred and Amrabat.

Additionally, the £323k per week machine in the Bundesliga last season showed off his talent in the final third by scoring five goals and dishing out six assists in 33 appearances. He also generated 11 significant opportunities and averaged 2.7 critical passes, which are indicators of his deep-lying creative threat.

In contrast, Fred struggled to establish himself at the top of the pitch and only managed two goals, two assists, four huge opportunities, and an average of 0.4 critical passes per game in the Premier League.

Amrabat, in contrast, made just one goal-related contribution, only one significant chance creation, and only 0.4 important passes per game on average. His defensive performance, which included two tackles and interceptions per game, lagged below Kimmich’s (3.4) but still outperformed Fred’s (1.8).

Amrabat’s ability to control the tempo of a game in midfield may be a key aspect of his game. He ranks in the top 5% of his European counterparts for pass completion, but his average of 7.93 progressive passes per 90 is still lower than Kimmich’s, who ranks in the top 1% with an average of 9.87 per 90, further demonstrating his innate ball-playing prowess.

Despite his previous history with Amrabat, Ten Hag would undoubtedly love to sign the Bayern sensation, who has previously been dubbed a player with the potential to “become the world’s best player” by former manager Hansi Flick.